


yearning, feat. a danish prince

by ree_sayles



Category: Hamlet - Shakespeare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Horatio is Big Sad, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Pining, Roommates, Slow Burn, Swearing, Will add more tags as I go, i use the lord's name in vain a lot so sorry, quarantine fic, tragic danish boyfriends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:01:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24991987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ree_sayles/pseuds/ree_sayles
Summary: Roommates Hamlet and Horatio end up spending a lot more time together during quarantine, which is convenient for Horatio because he needs to figure out how to tell Hamlet that he has a massive crush on him.---In other words-me projecting myself onto these characters bc i miss my gf and i'm lonely during quarantine
Relationships: Hamlet/Horatio (Hamlet)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	yearning, feat. a danish prince

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoy my writing attempts. these boys are idiots and i love them for it.
> 
> my lovely girlfriend came up with the title

Getting quarantined with his crazy, out of control roommate Hamlet for months was not something that Horatio expected to happen.

Then again, no one ever really expects a worldwide pandemic will happen.

When Horatio got the call from his mom saying that he should stay inside his apartment as much as possible for the foreseeable future, he wasn’t really surprised. He had been following the news pretty closely and thought something like this might happen.

However, he didn’t think that minutes after the phone call, his roommate Hamlet would come busting into the apartment, carrying bags overflowing with canned goods, screaming about the end of the world. 

“I’M NOT READY TO DIE. I’M FAR FAR TOO YOUNG. I CAN’T BELIEVE THE WORLD IS ENDING NOW. NOW! RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TENTH SEASON OF THE WALKING DEAD.” Hamlet yelled as he shoved open the door, making it fling back and bang against the wall.

Horatio jumped up from his spot on the couch, startled by the sudden loud noise. 

“Jesus Christ, Hamlet, why are you yelling?” 

“I NEED to know what happens in The Walking Dead. And production is just STOPPED because of this stupid virus.” Hamlet exclaimed, balancing a grocery bag haphazardly on his hip as he attempted to close the door behind him. 

“Why the fuck did you buy so many cans?” Horatio asked as he rushed over to Hamlet, trying to save said cans from toppling out of Hamlet’s bags and onto the ground. 

Hamlet just looked at him as if he was crazy.

“Horatio. We’re in a worldwide pandemic. We need to stock up on essentials or we’ll starve. I don’t know about you, but I am NOT dying until I see the finale of The Walking Dead.”

Horatio laughed. “What is it with you and that show? Here, let me help you get those bags into the kitchen.”

The kitchen was really just a counter with a built in sink, stove, and oven that they had placed their fridge next to. It was a relatively small fridge, not mini but not full sized, and their microwave was balanced precariously on top. A square wooden table separated the kitchen from the living room, and down the hall to the right of the living room were two bedrooms and the bathroom. It was a pretty small place, but it was all that the boys could afford.

Horatio had been an English major in college. He had extensively studied Old English literature and was well versed in the topic. Unfortunately, that had very few practical uses, so Horatio was stuck delivering packages for Amazon until he could find a job that better utilized his skills.

Hamlet had been a theatre major in college. As a kid, he had always loved to act and put on plays for his parents. Now, after college, he was waiting tables by day and acting in shows at the local theatre by night. 

They had met in college, when they were paired up to be roommates sophomore year. They were a bit of an unlikely pair, with Hamlet being much louder and more outgoing, and Horatio more preferring the quiet and calm, but they made a good team, and they had so much fun together that they decided to live together after college. It had been almost a year now since they’d graduated, and neither one was making a ton of money, but it was enough for them to get by. 

After putting the bags down on the counter, Horatio turned to Hamlet and said, “So, I guess we’re going to be spending a lot more time together, now that we’re quarantined.” 

It wasn’t awkward, exactly, but it was kind of uncomfortable. Ironically, in the past year of living together, Hamlet and Horatio had grown apart. They were each focused on starting their lives, and with Hamlet working crazy hours and Horatio always searching for a job, they were spending a lot less time together than they had in college. They pretty much only saw each other when they were leaving for work in the morning and when Hamlet stumbled home from work late at night. 

To be honest, Horatio hated it. He had been harboring a huge crush on Hamlet since he met him sophomore year. At the time, Hamlet had been dating Ophelia, but after they broke up, Horatio was too chicken to ask Hamlet out. He figured that Hamlet would never go for someone like him. When they got their apartment together, Horatio thought he might finally get the courage to ask him out, but so far it hadn’t happened. 

“Yep,” Hamlet replied, drumming his fingers nervously on the counter. “So… do you wanna, like, watch a movie or something? Or we could eat. I grabbed dinner at the restaurant before I left, but if you haven’t eaten yet I would eat with you. I’m still hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.” Horatio smiled. Jesus, he was practically in love with the guy and Hamlet seemed to have no idea. 

“Shut up,” Hamlet responded playfully, “I just worked a ten hour shift. I have the right to be hungry!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Horatio rolled his eyes. “So I’m assuming your play was cancelled tonight because of the virus?”  
“Tonight and for the foreseeable future.” Hamlet said, plopping down into a chair at the table. “‘No large gatherings’ or some shit like that.”

“Well, it’s not shit, it’s well-researched advice. Scientists have proven that large gatherings increase the chance of the virus being sprea-”

“Oh, Horatio!” Hamlet interrupted. “You’re so incredibly smart!” he teased. “So, movie or no movie?”

“A movie sounds lovely.” Horatio smiled again. He did that a lot when Hamlet was around. 

They walked to the couch and Hamlet went to work picking out a movie on Netflix. Throughout the movie, Horatio could barely keep his eyes off of Hamlet, watching him throw his head back and laugh at the corny lines and roll his eyes during the sappy moments. 

The ten hour shift must have really worn him out, though, because by the time the credits were rolling, Hamlet was asleep with his head on the armrest. Horatio pulled a blanket over him and allowed himself a moment to look at Hamlet without hiding it. 

But soon that moment was over, and Horatio shut off the TV and went to lie in his bed, dreaming of everything that could be if he could just ask Hamlet out already.


End file.
